A physical examination also provides clues as to the origin of the hematuria. Certain physical findings suggest certain causes of the blood in the urine.
Tenderness over the flank or back suggests a blocked kidney from a stone or an infected kidney.
Abrasions or black-and-blue marks over the flank or back suggest recent trauma to the urinary tract.
Tenderness or soreness over the lower abdomen may be from a bladder infection.
A mass or fullness felt in the lower abdomen suggests a distended bladder, and the hematuria may be due to pathology of the bladder or prostate.
A tender prostate tends to mean a prostate infection is present, and the hematuria may be secondary to prostatitis.
A nodular, hard, or irregular prostate is suggestive of prostate cancer, which can cause hematuria.
A frail, thin, malnourished looking patient with hematuria may be suffering from a chronic disease, such as cancer.